Enter the Style Zeitgeist: An Interview with Eugene Rabkin. To succeed in the world of fashion, one must have connections and relationships with their communities and peers. Whether through family, fame, or fortune, connections matter, and those without them are often left on the wayside. In many ways, this is what makes Eugene Rabkin’s (@eugenerabkin) writing stand out from the rest of the pack. Coming from a background without connections made through family, fame, or fortune, Rabkin pulls no punches in his critiques, and takes no prisoners either. As is the case with many outsiders that pry their way into the world of fashion, Rabkin’s story is one of both happenstance and a drive to offer something new to the elitist world of fashion criticism. Born in the USSR, Rabkin emigrated to New York City at the age of 15 to “pursue the American dream”. What would eventually put Rabkin onto the path he followed would be something quite ubiquitous for the 1990’s: a music video. As Rabkin recollected being interviewed by Rick Owens, his interest in fashion began to pique around 1994 when clothes and the feelings they reflect clicked into place. As he said to Owens, “you know when the light bulb went off for me about what clothing can do? It’s when I saw (the) March of the Pigs video by Nine Inch Nails in ’94”. Rabkin’s exit from that elite world and into fashion criticism and writing as a profession would be the catalyst for his new creation: avant-garde menswear forum, StyleZeitgeist (@stylezeitgeist), and its companion magazine. No other forums or large scale online spaces were being dedicated to serious discussions about avant-garde clothing, and in particular avant-garde menswear. Since beginning his career, Rabkin has played a variety of roles, from critiquing the rank profit motives of fashion conglomerates to interviews with designers such as Haider Ackerman and Rick Owens. Rabkin worked in enough time to answer some questions with ARCHIVE.pdf. We discussed his life, his journey, and his thoughts on the world of fashion. Read the full interview on ARCHIVE.pdf’s website, link in bio. Writer: @isaacd4v15